I let weird/meaningless stuff get to my head.

A

asbani

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi Pool Instructors, I have been struggling with this thing that sometimes can really kill my game massively, I know I can win, but I let small things get to my head and then I start missing balls, then I get angry, then I miss more, then I get mad, then I start playing out of line, and missing too.


I consider myself a good player, I can runout whenever I get a shot, and can make difficult shots, but the main problem for me is my mental game, where as I said, small things could kill it for me, let me give you some examples.


this happened to me today, playing 9ball. I was on the 8ball and 9ball left on table, and I'm in good position on the 8ball, and cueball was laying out in an angel where if i'm aiming to the 8ball, my opponent is sitting directly infront of me, he for some reason was holding his cue, and while I'm down on the shot before shooting, he moves his arm to lay his cue on the wall, I think it was intentional because previous games he didn't do it, only when i am aiming directly into his line of sight seating area? but anyways, i didnt stand up or anything, i keep stroking, then shoot, made the ball but was out of the position on the 9ball, it made me so mad , that even if i could make that 9ball on normal circumstances, this time, i didn't. thats one thing.

another thing that happened to me with that player also, he kept using his iphone, playing games, sending texts, chatting with whoever that was with his iphone during my innings, I don't know why this also got to my head and made me irritated , but it really made my game go worse.

I have all the kind of mental problems in me, I think about things that I shouldn't think about, stuff can make me play badly, when that happens, how to revive my game? or better so, how can I stop it from happening.

now I only said 2 examples, but i have 100 more, I don't want to say them all, but you get the idea, stuff that happens outside of the table can ruin my game, please help me :(
 
Lack of focus

Don't take this the wrong way but do you suffer from any obsesive compulsive disorders (OCD)? If so, then your problem is likely connected to way your brain is wired and the only cure is to find ways to distract the compulsive behavior and center your focus on the task at hand.

If this not an OCD issue, then it simply boils down to establishing a deeper level of focus.

One of the best ways to address both of these problems is to establish a solid pre-shot routine so that the mind will stay centered and focused as you prepare to execute the shot. If it is OCD, then transfer your obsessive behavior into the intracacies of the preshot routine. Shoot for perfection as is often the case with OCD.
 
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Some people are more vigilant than other people. It often comes from how you were raised and where you geographically live. For example, if you live in a high crime area or a big city, you are extremely aware of things going on around you. It's not a mental problem to be aware of your surroundings. It's a conditioned response due to a matter of survival.

So how do you turn off that switch? I don't think you can. But I think you can learn to live with it and realize that when it happens, you are just being aware of your surroundings. Don't fight it. Get up off your shot and reset yourself when it happens.

Another thing: I have been saying this for years. We are allowing the bar to be lowered in this game when it comes to proper behavior at a tournament. If this were a 14.1 Championship in years past with players like Mizerak, Crane, Balsis, Martin, etc...any sudden movement by an opponent would not be tolerated. Not for one minute. Plus, any spectators creating a distraction would be instantly warned and then asked to leave if they did it again. You could hear a pin drop in an event.

These days, half the game is won off the table by inferior players who can't win by just shooting pool.
 
Common courtesy

Fran
I couldn't agree with you any more strenuously
Those common courtesies of yeArs past are not so common any more
I have been playing for over 40 years and the environment and attitudes around the table has deteriorated to some degree
I had an opponent stand in front of my shot and play air guitar with his cue, this was after he continually spoke while knead down on a shot. He Stopped after I asked him to, but it was short loved
I guess we are all to blame though since as you said, I have tolerated this behavior from too many other players forcing myself to just try to ignore it

I'll still take a seat and wait for my turn, but leading by example is not as effective as I'd like it to be

Anyway, love the game and just enjoy
regards
 
thanks for the comments guys, I think you are right Fran, I'm so aware of surrondings all the time, it is also part of my real job, I pick things quickly, and notice things that happens around me quiet fast and easily...I think it has to do with my job and also it has to do with where I live, you are 100% right

and btw no I don't have OCD, at all, i just see the smallest things, then while at the table sometimes I analyze them in my head instead of focusing on the shot, which will give the shot or position a 50% play, because I am thinking of other things.


I don't usually stand up and do my pre-shot routine again, I never do, and thats the problem, any other way to beat this? I will try to stand up and do it all over again, but if i don't, how to beat it and just ignore it, is there a way? thanks.
 
asbani said:
thanks for the comments guys, I think you are right Fran, I'm so aware of surrondings all the time, it is also part of my real job, I pick things quickly, and notice things that happens around me quiet fast and easily...I think it has to do with my job and also it has to do with where I live, you are 100% right

and btw no I don't have OCD, at all, i just see the smallest things, then while at the table sometimes I analyze them in my head instead of focusing on the shot, which will give the shot or position a 50% play, because I am thinking of other things.


I don't usually stand up and do my pre-shot routine again, I never do, and thats the problem, any other way to beat this? I will try to stand up and do it all over again, but if i don't, how to beat it and just ignore it, is there a way? thanks.
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Once you've noticed something outside of the task at hand the only way to be consistently successful at the task is to reset....imo
 
asbani said:
thanks for the comments guys, I think you are right Fran, I'm so aware of surrondings all the time, it is also part of my real job, I pick things quickly, and notice things that happens around me quiet fast and easily...I think it has to do with my job and also it has to do with where I live, you are 100% right

and btw no I don't have OCD, at all, i just see the smallest things, then while at the table sometimes I analyze them in my head instead of focusing on the shot, which will give the shot or position a 50% play, because I am thinking of other things.


I don't usually stand up and do my pre-shot routine again, I never do, and thats the problem, any other way to beat this? I will try to stand up and do it all over again, but if i don't, how to beat it and just ignore it, is there a way? thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm like you in that I'm also a very vigilant person, being a native New Yorker. You don't stand at the edge of a subway platform waiting for a train without knowing who is standing behind you and next to you at all times. You don't step off a curb in Manhattan during rush hour without looking at all the stoplights around you, the traffic and the people. It's a full time job living in New York City that never shuts down.

In pool, I have tried several different methods to combat my vigilance issues. My favorite is a technique I learned from NLP (neuro linguistic programming). During a match, when I pick up on something that's distracting me, I take that thing in my mind, and put it in a box in the corner of my mind and shut the lid. I've trained myself that once I shut the lid on that box, that distraction is gone. It takes practice, but I find that it works.

Another method I use is visualization. I visualize myself practicing in my home pool room, listening to my favorite music, shooting fast and loose and having a great time. That helps a lot as well.

The key is to replace the distraction with one of your own.
 
Fran, Read a lot of your posts and respect and agree with your comments. When you mentioned practicing in your own home pool room, shooting fast and loose, a light came on. Why is it when I'm practicing, everything goes my way? When someone is firing back at me, it's like I don't know what the heck I'm doing. How do you conquer the pressure involved with competition? I know there are a lot of books and info out there but it just doesn't seem to help. Play the table and not the opponent. Great advice, but not easy to do. I know I need to concentrate on just playing my game but the gremlins keep creeping in. Any advice. Thanks Fran
 
dougster26 said:
Fran, Read a lot of your posts and respect and agree with your comments. When you mentioned practicing in your own home pool room, shooting fast and loose, a light came on. Why is it when I'm practicing, everything goes my way? When someone is firing back at me, it's like I don't know what the heck I'm doing. How do you conquer the pressure involved with competition? I know there are a lot of books and info out there but it just doesn't seem to help. Play the table and not the opponent. Great advice, but not easy to do. I know I need to concentrate on just playing my game but the gremlins keep creeping in. Any advice. Thanks Fran
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When we're practicing, there's no penalty for missing, so it's easy to shoot fast and loose. But if we miss in competition, it can really cost us a lot. So the first thing we tend to do is tighten up and try not to miss. We tighten up everything --- or arms, our legs, our hands and worst of all, our brains.

An old hustler from Philly named Peter Rabbit taught me a valuable lesson. He told me to allow myself to miss. When you get into a match, allow yourself to miss a few shots while you loosen up and try to find your game. You can't find your game by tightening up, you have let your stroke out, and if that costs you a miss here or there, so be it. It will pay off in the long run.

So if you imagine yourself in your home room shooting fast and loose, you won't think about trying not to miss. You'll just shoot.

Hope that helps, and thanks for the compliment. :)
 
FranCrimi said:
When we're practicing, there's no penalty for missing, so it's easy to shoot fast and loose. But if we miss in competition, it can really cost us a lot. So the first thing we tend to do is tighten up and try not to miss. We tighten up everything --- or arms, our legs, our hands and worst of all, our brains.

An old hustler from Philly named Peter Rabbit taught me a valuable lesson. He told me to allow myself to miss. When you get into a match, allow yourself to miss a few shots while you loosen up and try to find your game. You can't find your game by tightening up, you have let your stroke out, and if that costs you a miss here or there, so be it. It will pay off in the long run.

So if you imagine yourself in your home room shooting fast and loose, you won't think about trying not to miss. You'll just shoot.

Hope that helps, and thanks for the compliment. :)
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It really sounds like you've hit the nail on the head. When in a match, I know my thought process is don't miss, this person is capable of running out on you. When I'm practicing, it's just me. Makes a lot of sense.

I'm going to work on this and I'll report back to you in a PM on how it is going. I love this site. So much can be gained by just asking a question from someone like you, that has so much to give.

Thanks Fran
 
You cannot shut off the conscious part of your mind; it needs to be focused somewhere. Your opponent doesn't need to, "see how good you are". If they don't watch (are distracted by their phone), they aren't witnessing your ability at the table. But do the balls really care about a high score in Angry Birds or how many people watched them?

It's a good sharking move because people do get frustrated by it, the same as moving in some way when your opponent is aiming in your direction. It's something for the mind to concentrate on, feel judged or distracted by, and usually results in either a missed shot, or poor position.

That's usually when that judgement from the conscious mind gets in the way. The negative self-talk that goes along with it and the constant second guessing makes you miss more. And you get angrier. And then you miss. It's a vicious circle.

If you feel you run out on a regular basis then by now you should be able to play with your eyes closed. Your stroke is straight enough not to miss the pot, and your ball speed will get you to the right spot even if you don't look. So, instead of worrying about someone's phone, try thinking about how the cue feels in your hand. Especially when someone moves in front of you. Keep your mind on your feet, how well do those shoes fit?

Your body already knows how to make the shot and your mind knows how to miss. Focus on something constructive and don't berate yourself if you don't get perfect everytime. The easiest way to miss is to, "try really hard".

The last time you were, "in the zone", do you remember every shot? Or do you remember how the cue felt in your hand? When you get your mind out of the way, you'll play better.
 
asbani said:
I let small things get to my head
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You are not alone. I would not call it a mental thing. Let's just say some of us get disturbed/distracted from the lack of pool room etiquette by others.
 
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C.Milian said:
I think you are over thinking.
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I have been told this all my life. IMO, my ability to think too much aka digest large amounts of details is a blessing not a curse. The trick is learning how to use it. Embrace it, nurture it, and never ever block it.

Most importantly learn how to reset like Fran recommended. My reset includes a smile and a deep breath. Find something that works for you and you'll be set. Without a reset you will never get past this. You're human. You will get distracted. You will get pissed at your opponent's antics. You will miss easy shots. Reset. RESET. RESET!

This is easier said than done but it is all we have. Create the habit and you'll be on your way.
 
Thinking.

Okie said:
I have been told this all my life. IMO, my ability to think too much aka digest large amounts of details is a blessing not a curse. The trick is learning how to use it. Embrace it, nurture it, and never ever block it.

Most importantly learn how to reset like Fran recommended. My reset includes a smile and a deep breath. Find something that works for you and you'll be set. Without a reset you will never get past this. You're human. You will get distracted. You will get pissed at your opponent's antics. You will miss easy shots. Reset. RESET. RESET!

This is easier said than done but it is all we have. Create the habit and you'll be on your way.
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Good stuff Okie. Resetting hopefully resets your mind also. I came from bar room pool where the distractions were rampant. Drunks, idiots, yelling and chaos in general. Playing under adverse conditions can be quite good practice. Sort of a been there done that type of attitude. Now you can put up with anything! Actually stone cold quiet seriousness at huge moments can be disturbing to some. That's why people like the jukebox playing. A little distraction. I have ringing of the ears and some hearing loss. Wow, what a blessing! I also came from the old school snooker hall mentality where a young person was force fed pool room manners before the learning even began. Great days back then.
 
Okie said:
I have been told this all my life. IMO, my ability to think too much aka digest large amounts of details is a blessing not a curse. The trick is learning how to use it. Embrace it, nurture it, and never ever block it.

Most importantly learn how to reset like Fran recommended. My reset includes a smile and a deep breath. Find something that works for you and you'll be set. Without a reset you will never get past this. You're human. You will get distracted. You will get pissed at your opponent's antics. You will miss easy shots. Reset. RESET. RESET!

This is easier said than done but it is all we have. Create the habit and you'll be on your way.
Click to expand...

I got it. Reset it and sing.
 
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That actually works. I got back from a long day of driving yesterday and felt like crap. Didn't know how to handle it so I curled into bed. I'm fresh as a daisy now. Although it took me an entire night to reset...I'm glad I feel asleep. I think your brain release chemicals for almost everything you do and it takes a while before the effect wares off.
 
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